Stanford finishes fourth at the 2013 Pac-12 Championship played at LA Country Club

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Final Results (by gostanford.com)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -

By two strokes Stanford edged Arizona State to finish fourth at 54-over-par 1454 on Wednesday at the men’s golf Pac-12 Championships at the Los Angeles Country Club.
Throughout the tournament, the top three teams on the leaderboard remained the same. After a 12-under-par opening round, top-ranked (Golfweek) California took the lead and the title, notching a six-over 1406 (338-357-361-350). No. 5 UCLA (346-358-354-357) took second at 1415 and No. 7 Washington (349-360-369-354) finished third.  Hats off to Cal for finishing off a record breaking season with the most team wins ever in NCAA history.

Final Team Standings - click to enlarge

The 8th ranked Cardinal (366-361-365-362) started and finished in fourth. Heading into the final round today, however, Arizona State (368-362-354-372) had an eight-stroke lead but Stanford came back and fired 12 over while the Sun Devils shot 22 over to finish in fifth.
Cameron Wilson (71-70-69-73) finished in ninth at 283. The senior managed to lead the Cardinal in the second and third rounds, completing a solid top-10 performance.
First-round leader Patrick Rodgers (68-72-73-74) tied for 11th with 287. Through the front nine, the sophomore was even after pairing a bogey on the fourth with a birdie on the sixth. But in the back nine Rodgers let four shots go.
Steve Kearney, who led Stanford today and matched the tournament fourth round low, shot a

Steven Kearney

68 after firing four birdies and two bogeys. The senior (79-71-74-68) tied for 24th overall.
“I putted really well today,” Kearney said. “The greens were perfect and I was rolling it really well. On top of that, I only missed two fairways which really helped.”
“This round gave me a lot of confidence. If I can get my mid iron game working well again I should continue to play great.”

Two shots behind Kearney was senior Andrew Yun (72-76-75-71) who tied for 29th at 294. Yun, who won the Pac-12 Championships last year, fired his best round of the tournament today, going one over after two bogeys and a birdie. He pared all the holes in the back nine.
Freshman David Boote (76-72-76-76) tied for 45th at 300, while junior Shane Lebow (81-76-74-82) tied for 66th with 313.

Final round scorecards - click to enlarge

Round 3 Results (by gostanford.com)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - With a 15-over-par 365, Stanford moved one spot back to fifth after the third round on Tuesday of the men's golf Pac-12 Championships at the Los Angeles Country Club.

The top three in the leaderboard remained the same with No.1 (Golfweek) California (338-357-361) leading the tournament at six-over 1056. Two strokes behind is No. 5 UCLA (346-358-354) in second at 1058, while No. 7 Washington (349-360-369) again took third at 1078.

After shooting four over today, No. 47 Arizona State (368-362-354) edged Stanford by eight strokes for the fourth spot at 1084. Rounding the top five is the No. 8 Cardinal (366-361-365) at 1092.

Round 3 Team Totals

Cameron Wilson, who led Stanford in the second and third rounds, paced with a one-under

Cameron Wilson

69. Through the front nine, the junior was one over and a bogey on the 13th put him two over. But Wilson (71-70-69) fired three consecutive birdies on 14, 15 and 16 to tie for seventh at 210.

Also in the top-10 of the individual leaderboard was Patrick Rodgers (68-72-73) who is tenth at 213. The sophomore bogeyed the fourth, seventh and 11th holes, while paring the rest.

"I was scrambling for par the entire round," Rodgers said. "I only had one birdie putt inside 10 feet, and it was hard to scramble and lag putt all day."

After the round Rodgers worked on his ball striking and hitting fades.

"A good round tomorrow would be a birdie on the first hole and then something well under par," Rodgers continued. "I haven't gotten off to a good start yet in this event. I need a good round to help move the team forward."

Senior Andrew Yun (72-76-75) is 44th with 223. One stroke behind are freshman David Boote (76-72-76) and senior Steve Kearney (79-71-74) who are both tied for 45th with 224.

Shane Lebow (81-76-74) finished two strokes better today to tie for 64th at 231.

The fourth round begins at 8 a.m. (PT) tomorrow. Stanford tees off the first hole with Arizona State and Oregon.

Round 3 scores - click to enlarge

Round One & Two Results (by gostanford.com)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Stanford is fourth at 27-over-par 727 after two rounds on Monday of the men's golf Pac-12 Championships at the Los Angeles Country Club trailing the powerful three highly ranked teams, Cal, UCLA & Washington.  Cal had a stunning first round led by Max Homa's brilliant 9-under par 61.

Round 1 & 2 Team Results

The Cardinal opened the 36-hole day with a 16-over 366, claiming sixth as the 12-team field headed into the afternoon second round. The next 18 holes proved to be better. With a 361, Stanford moved two spots up the leaderboard.

Top-ranked (Golfweek) California leads the tournament at five-under 695, after an opening 338 followed by a 357. No. 5 UCLA (346-358) checks in second with 704, while No. 7 Washington (349-360) claims third at 709.

Patrick Rodgers (68-72) led the Cardinal, tying for fifth at even-par 140. The sophomore fired

Patrick Rodgers

five birdies and three bogeys to go two under on the first 18 holes.

"Round one got off to a rocky start but I stayed composed and rolled in some putts," said Rodgers who holds a 70.4 stroke average in 29 rounds of competition. "I made a bad swing on 17 and hit in the hazard but managed a bogey and made a great birdie on 18 to a tough pin. All in all 68 was a solid opening round."

During the second round, Rodgers made three birdies through the front nine, putting him one under. But three late bogeys pushed him back three strokes.

"In round two I was right there heading into the back nine this afternoon and just didn't hit the ball very well," Rodgers continued. "I didn't have any good looks over nine holes and seemed to always have five or six feet for par. We were racing against daylight and time, so I was out of my rhythm a bit finishing my round."

One stroke behind Rodgers is Cameron Wilson (71-70) who is tied for 11th at 141. His one-over first round came in second for the team, but it was his even-par second round that led the Cardinal.

During the second round, Wilson birdied the first hole but bogeyed the third. He went on to birdie the sixth and bogey the ninth. Through the back, the junior pared the rest of his holes for a steady finish.

For reigning Pac-12 Champion Andrew Yun, the day started with a 72, only going under once after firing an eagle on the par-4 sixth hole. The senior then finished the afternoon with a 76, tying for 42nd at 148.

“This golf course is going to test your patience more than your golf game,” Yun said. “Tomorrow I need to be more aggressive and confident with my game. I’m not going to wait for an opportunity. I’m going to make the opportunities.” 

Freshman David Boote, also tied for 42nd, opened with a 76 and followed up with a 72.

Two strokes behind Yun and Boote was senior Steve Kearney (79-71) who tied for 49th at 150.

Rounding out the field was junior Shane Lebow (81-76) who scored 157 to tie for 67th.

The third round begins at 8 a.m. (PT) tomorrow. The Cardinal tees off the first hole with Utah and Oregon State. 

"For tomorrow I need a good round to help lead a team charge and get back into the mix individually," Rodgers said. "I need to get off to a good start and make consistently good decisions to ensure a good result."

Individual scoring for round two can be found below:

Round 2 scorecards

Backstory by gostanford.com

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - After a solid spring campaign with a victory at the U.S. Intercollegiate, Stanford competes in the men's golf Pac-12 Championship on Monday through Wednesday at the Los Angeles Country Club.

This 72-hole event tees off at 8 a.m. (PT) all three days off No. 1 and No. 10. On Monday, the second round will tee off at 1 p.m.

LA Country Club plays approximately 6,300 yards and to a par of 72.

Andrew Yun, the reigning Pac-12 Champion, will be on a field that boasts five top-11 teams and 20 of the top-85 players in the nation.

"It's going to take perseverance and a great short game for me to defend my title this week,"

Andrew Yun

said Yun, who was recently named the Pac-12 Men's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year. "There is a cliché that defense wins championships. I believe that a good short game is like a good defense."

No. 8 (Golfweek) Stanford is joined by top-ranked California, No. 5 UCLA, No. 7 Washington and No. 11 USC.

Rounding out the 12-team field are Oregon, Arizona State, Oregon State, Arizona, Colorado, Washington State and Utah.

"The LA Country Club was designed by George Thomas who is the same architect of the Stanford Golf Course," said The Knowles Family Director of Golf Conrad Ray. "We're excited that we might see some similarities and be familiar with some contouring. It's a long course, so there's a lot of strategy in terms of hitting your golf ball in the proper place off the tee and around the greens to create the most opportunities."

Ray starts a lineup featuring sophomore Patrick Rodgers, junior Cameron Wilson, senior Yun, freshman David Boote, senior Steve Kearney and junior Shane Lebow.

Rodgers, who comes off a ninth-place finish at the Western Intercollegiate, has had six top-10 finishes in nine events including three season titles and five overall. He holds a 70.5 stroke average in 27 rounds of competition and is a Ben Hogan Award semifinalist.

"Patrick plays tough golf courses and manages his golf ball well," Ray said. "He relies on his strong short game so that should all bode well for him."

Yun, a Byron Nelson Award finalist, has had two top-10 finishes this spring, including a third-place showing at the 2013 U.S. Intercollegiate.

"My mantra for this tournament is to have fun," Yun said. "I tend to lose patience as the tournament wears on because frustrations can build on each other. So after every shot, I'll tell myself to smile and talk with my playing competitors because talking helps me relax. After every round, I'll emphasize the positive things I have done so that I can utilize my strengths as the tournament progresses."

"Andrew will be up for a very good tournament," Ray continued. "He's a great putter and chipper with the golf ball and with the course you have to get up and down a few times to make par."

The rest of the Cardinal is rounding out in good form.

Wilson's ball striking is strong. Boote plays consistently and makes a lot of pars. Kearney remains a solid contributor and Lebow, after a nice few rounds of qualifying, made the sixth slot.

The Cardinal clinched the inaugural Pac-12 title in 1960 and has since won the conference championships in 1968, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1992 and 1994.

Stanford's Pac-12 Champion alumni have been Pete Choate (1960 and 1962), S. Adelman (1969), Mike Peck (1977 and 1978), Jack Skilling (1980), Don Walsworth (1986), Christian Cevaer (1989 and 1992), Tiger Woods (1996), Jim Seki (2002) and Andrew Yun (2012).

"Last year I was hitting the ball extremely well coming into the Pac-12s," Yun said. "I just needed to find my putting touch. I remember switching grips to a cross-handed grip in the middle of my first round and it all clicked. I made a lot of putts for the rest of the week."

"I also remember an important game-changer in the final round," Yun continued. "I was one over after three early bogeys. On the eighth hole, I hit a pitching wedge from about 120 yards to a left pin. It landed a couple of feet in front of the pin and then hit the pin and dropped for an eagle! That changed the momentum and gave me the confidence to finish strong. I remember telling myself to stay aggressive. I didn't want to put my foot off the pedal until the last putt dropped."

Stanford finishes 3rd at Western Intercollegiate played at historic Pasatiempo

Background Story/Patrick Rodgers | Stanford Daily Recap | Pasatiempo GC | Tournament Site | Live Scoring | Past Champions

FINAL ROUND RESULT:

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Stanford finished in third with a 31-over-par 1081 on the final day of the 67th Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club.

The Cardinal (351-366-364), who was in third heading into the final round, was only 15 strokes back from UCLA and six strokes behind California.

California (350-361-340), however, managed to shoot a 10-under-par 340 today for a final 1051 and the victory. The top-ranked (Golfweek) Golden Bears edged No. 5 UCLA by 13 strokes. The Bruins (341-361-362) came in second at 1064.

No. 8 Stanford, in third, managed to finish four strokes ahead of No. 6 Washington (358-370-357) who scored a 1085 overall.

"We were hoping to move up on the leaderboard, but the guys played well and the teams ahead of us were all highly ranked," said The Knowles Family Director of Golf Conrad Ray. "I felt like we had a chance today. We didn't play our best golf but we had some nice individual finishes with Patrick Rodgers coming back with a 67."

Rodgers (70-74-67), who was tied for 23rd heading into the final round, fired five birdies and went three under for a one-over-par 211, tying for ninth.

"I struck the ball really well today," said Rodgers, a sophomore. "After yesterday I knew my game was good and I just had to put a round together. I struck it great, gave myself a lot of opportunities and shot a good number."

"My ball striking has continued to improve and I am making steps in my short game. If I can continue this trend, it will be a great postseason."

Cameron Wilson went up three spots in the leaderboard from a 17th-place tie after the second round to a 14th-place finish. The junior opened with a 69 and followed that with a 74. Today Wilson shot a 70 for a 213 overall.

Senior Andrew Yun (69-71-76), who led the Cardinal heading into the final round, tied for 19th at 216.

Sophomore Patrick Grimes (70-74-77) finished at 221 to tie for 37th, while freshman David Boote (74-73-75) was one stroke back at 222 and tied for 40th.

Rounding out the lineup was Steve Kearney (73-80-76) who tied for 68th at 229.

Stanford individual Dominick Francks opened the tournament with a 69 after firing birdies on holes three, six, seven and nine. Later that afternoon on the 36-hole day, however, the freshman shot nine over with only a single birdie on the 16th. Francks, who tied for 29th at 218, came back today with a birdie on the ninth, an eagle on the 10th and a birdie on the 11th for a 70.

Junior Shane Lebow (74-70-76), who also competed as an individual, shot a 220 and tied for 32nd.

“There were some low scores out there,” Ray said. “I felt like we’re continuing down the right track. We’re going to focus on our short games and continue to putt and chip well and hit the ball in the fairway—all the basic things as we move toward the postseason.”

Stanford competes next in the men’s golf Pac-12 Championship on April 29-May 1.

“Looking ahead to the Pac-12s, we play the Los Angeles Country Club, which is somewhat similar on the greens and has a lot of big undulating greens that we found here in Pasatiempo so we’ll work on those situations the next couple of weeks in practice,” Ray said. “We didn’t have our best stuff today and we didn’t exactly make a great run but there’s more golf to play and all this is in preparation for what lies ahead.”

ROUND ONE AND TWO RESULTS:

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - After a 36-hole day, Stanford recorded a 17-over-par 717 for third

Senior, Andrew Yun

heading into the final round of the Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club.

The Cardinal, led by a pair of 69s from Andrew Yun and Cameron Wilson, opened the tournament with a 351 for a fourth-place tie. Under ideal conditions UCLA led the field at 341, 10 strokes ahead of Stanford.

Strong winds in the late afternoon tested the 14-team field in the second round. UCLA and California, who check in at first and second on the leaderboard, scored the low of 361. Stanford, in third, had a 366 to remain in contention of the title.

The No. 5 (Golfweek) Bruins are 702 overall, while the top-ranked Golden Bears who carded a 350 in the opening round are at 711. The No. 8 Cardinal trails UCLA by 15 strokes and California by six.

"I felt like we hung in there pretty well," said The Knowles Family Director of Golf Conrad Ray. "The conditions were very difficult with the greens being fast and a lot of wind in the afternoon round which was reflective in the scores."

"For us to win tomorrow, we need a really solid contribution from all six players. With five scores counted, I think we can make up a lot of ground quickly. The guys are up for the challenge of playing the course well, managing their mistakes and cutting down on unforced errors."

Yun, after opening with a 69, managed to maintain a solid 71 in the second round for an even-par 140. The senior is tied for seventh, just five strokes behind UCLA's Pontus Widegren (66-69) who leads the tournament at 135.

"The wind obviously made things much more difficult, so I was picking much more conservative targets," said Yun who finished third in the U.S. Intercollegiate and tied for seventh at the Prestige at PGA West. "It's a demanding course and it requires precision so I had to be aware of where to hit the ball and where not to hit it."

Wilson, the other first-round leader, tallied a 74 in the second round to tie for 17th at 143. Close behind were sophomores Patrick Grimes and Patrick Rodgers who both opened with a 70 and followed with a 74. Grimes and Rodgers are tied for 23rd at 144.

Freshman David Boote (74-73) is tied for 41st at 147, while senior Steve Kearney (73-80) checks in at 153 tying for 71st.

Junior Shane Lebow, who competes as an individual, is tied for 23rd with Grimes and Rodgers. Lebow opened with a 74 but managed to go four strokes better in the second round to finish at 70.

Dominick Francks (69-79), the other individual, is tied for 48th at 148.

"The guys are playing in foursomes so they're playing with a fellow teammate," Ray said. "My thought was to get them encouraged to root each other on as much as possible. I want to get the vibe going a little bit tomorrow and see what happens."

The Cardinal tees off at 8:15 a.m. on Sunday from holes No. 3-5 with San Diego State.

"I'm hitting the ball great," Yun said. "If I continue to hit the ball like the way I did and make more putts, then I will have a chance at the end. I didn't make many putts today, so hopefully I saved them all for tomorrow!"

"My goal is to make confident, relaxed swings. It's easy to be tense and try to guide it out here, so I need to make sure I'm relaxed over the ball."

As shown on the 2nd round scorecards below, the 2nd nine played especially difficult with the afternoon winds.

Player Scorecards - round 2 (click to enlarge)

BACKGROUND - One of the favorite events for the Stanford team every year is the Western Intercollegiate, in its 76th year, because it's played on the famous Pasatiempo GC in nearby Santa Cruz, only about an hour south of the campus near the Pacific Ocean.  The course was designed by Alistair MacKenzie, architect of Augusta National, who had a home off the 16th fairway, one of the great par 4s in the world.

Pasatiempo features tight driving holes, elevation changes and very fast, undulating greens  --- the greens remind one of Augusta National.  Although short by today's standards at 6,500 yards from the tips, every part of your game is challenged and scoring especially if the wind is up can be difficult.  The  course is rated at 72.4 with a slope of 143.  With the sea breezes blowing off the nearby ocean, there is a special freshness in the air when you are playing at Pasatiempo.

Stanford has won the team title 8 times while taking the individual title 6 times including last year's win by Patrick Rodgers.  Notable individual champions have included Ken Venturi, Johnny Miller, Mark O'Meara, Peter Jacobsen, Joel Kribel, Aaron Oberholser, Duffy Waldorf, Jay Don Blake, Bobby Clampett and John Lotz.  Stanford champions have been Fred Brown, Chuck Van Linge, Joel Kribel twice, Rob Grube and Patrick Rodgers.

Stanford's team includes Patrick Rodgers, Andrew Yun, Cameron Wilson, David Boote, Steven Kearney and Patrick Grimes as 5 scores will count among the 6 team players.  Shane Lebow and Dominick Francks will compete as individuals.